Should I Use Insurance?

Fee Information

Please phone for my current fee schedule. Although I do not participate in any insurance panels, if you have insurance coverage for mental health services, I can provide you with an invoice for services rendered. These invoices can be submitted to your insurance carrier for reimbursement.

A Few Words About Health Insurance And Your Privacy

If you have insurance coverage for mental health services, you may choose to accept reimbursement from your carrier. I will provide you with an invoice indicating payment, which you can submit to your carrier.

Keep in mind, however, that professional services are rendered and charged to you, not your insurance carrier. You will be responsible for paying me directly and for filing insurance claims.

I do not bill insurance companies and do not participate in any insurance panels. There are a couple of important reasons for this.

One of the main reasons is that submitting a mental health invoice for reimbursement carries a risk to your confidentiality, privacy, and future eligibility for health or life insurance.

When insurance is used for psychotherapy, the treatment must be considered “medically necessary.” What this means is that your psychotherapist is required to provide for you a psychiatric diagnosis. This diagnosis goes on your health record – which is a public record – and can affect you and your coverage in the future.

Once you have begun psychotherapy, your sessions must be continually “justified” (meaning you must be considered “sick”) for your insurance company to continue to pay for your sessions. In fact, many people I see for psychotherapy are not “mentally ill” and cannot honestly be assigned a psychiatric diagnosis; they are striving to improve their lives.

Another important reason is that your confidentiality is at risk when you use insurance. Various people receive and review your records. Information is often transmitted through the Internet, which is not a confidential form of communication. For example, all e-mail messages are saved in the logs of Internet service providers and are accessible to various people and organizations.

“Talk therapy” – or psychotherapy or counseling – is a proven effective way to reduce anxiety, and to feel better about yourself and your life.